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Asia - Pacific

A solar panel farm that will occupy an area four times the size of Sydney has been given the go-ahead. AGL Energy has been granted funding by the Australian government worth $235m to develop two sites in New South Wales. The two sites are one of the biggest photovoltaic (PV) projects in the world, and one of the sites will be the largest solar power project in the southern hemisphere. World Finance, August 8.

A bipartisan warning over the dangers of climate change has pierced the electioneering, with a Senate committee pointing to the rising threat posed by extreme weather events and former Liberal leader John Hewson forecasting severe financial pain from unchecked carbon emissions. The Senate committee's report highlighted scientific evidence showing a link between climate change and more frequent weather events such asheatwaves and storm surges. The Guardian, August

China

China plans to accelerate investment in technology to save energy and tackle the dire pollution blamed for a series of health crises that have generated widespread public anger. The country's cabinet, the State Council, said on Sunday that environmental protection would be elevated to a "pillar industry" that would receive government support in the form of tax breaks and subsidies. The State Council said the new plan would ensure the environmental protection industry grows by 15 percent annually, generating turnover of 4.5 trillion yuan ($735 billion) by 2015. Reuters, August 11.

Global

The Arctic lost record amounts of sea ice last year and is changing at an unprecedented pace due to climate change, a landmark climate study said on Tuesday. Last year was among the 10 warmest years on record – ranking eighth or ninth depending on the data set, according to a report led by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (Noaa). The year 2012 also saw record greenhouse gas emissions, with concentrations of carbon dioxide and other warming gasses reaching a global average of 392.7 parts per million for the year. The Guardian, August 6.

India

Only the nuclear and the solar power can meet the mammoth energy requirements of India, former chairman of Atomic Energy Commission Dr Anil Kakodkar said on Sunday. “If India has to emerge as an economic power then per capita electricity production has to be brought on par with that in the advanced countries,” he said. “Today the scenario is such that compared to advanced countries we are 14-15 times behind. The average per capita electricity production in an industrially advanced nation is at around 10,000 units, where as in India it is at around 800 units per person,” Dr Kakodkar said speaking to reporters. The Hindu, August 11.

Solar

The world solar PV market saw a pickup in June, enjoying a “warm summer of demand” according to Bloomberg’s Solar Shipment Index. This was caused in part by the booming Japanese market, which was expected to total between 6.9 and 9.4 GW of new-build PV in 2013. Another driver was the rush to ship products to the European Union before a higher rate of preliminary anti-dumping tariffs on Chinese products was expected to come into effect on 6 August. Renewable Energy Focus, August 5.

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